{"title":"Clive Bennett","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"c-130-hercules-in-the-raf-book-clive-bennett-9781445652078","title":"C-130 Hercules in the RAF","description":"From its introduction in the mid-1960s, when the first aircraft were delivered, through the various humanitarian missions, the Falkland Islands conflict and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, right up to the introduction of the J version, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules continues to give outstanding service with the RAF and with an expected retirement date of  2030,  this  would  total  a  service career lasting for a staggering sixty-four years of continuous operations.  Designed with an internal hold the same size and dimensions as the American railroad boxcar, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules could carry a wide variety of cargo over distances of up to 2,950 miles. It offered a great improvement over the eclectic mix of its predecessors, the Blackburn Beverley, Handley Page Hastings and Armstrong Whitworth Argosy, all of which continued to provide support, albeit in a secondary role, within RAF Transport Command once the Hercules was introduced to service. This gave an advanced leap in transport capabilities that the RAF had never had at its disposal until the Hercules joined the active inventory.  This book tells the full story of one of the most important aircraft in RAF service over the last fifty years. A workhorse that is also astonishingly adaptable for a range of specialised operations, the Hercules is capable of carrying troops as well as vehicles, moving men from one location to another in peacetime training or inserting special forces teams on clandestine operations in time of war.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49733591531793,"sku":"NGR9781445652078","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49783685087505,"sku":"GOR010958184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51189206548753,"sku":"GOR014195520","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1445652072.jpg?v=1777715460"},{"product_id":"dakota-squadrons-in-action-from-d-day-to-v-e-day-book-clive-bennett-9781036121198","title":"Dakota Squadrons in Action From D-Day to V.E. Day","description":"RAF Transport Command's 46 Group, formed in January 1944, played a pivotal role in the Allies' victory during the final months of World War II. Operating from three airfields--RAF Broadwell, RAF Blakehill Farm, and RAF Down Ampney--its six squadrons flew the Douglas C-47 Dakotas, providing vital support to airborne forces, paratroopers, and gliders. They conducted air drops, resupplied front-line troops, and facilitated casualty evacuation.From D-Day on 6 June 1944, the Dakotas flew crucial missions over France, transporting goods and personnel while returning with wounded troops and captured enemy material. The 'Flying Nightingales', WAAF nurses aboard these flights, administered first aid on their return journeys, though one nurse, LACW Margaret Campbell, was killed in a crash in October 1944.During Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Dakotas supported the airborne forces with daily resupply flights. Flight Lieutenant David Lord of 271 Squadron posthumously received the Victoria Cross for his bravery in delivering supplies under heavy flak.In March 1945, Dakotas played a key role in Operation Varsity, the final airborne assault of the war. This book examines the significant contribution of 46 Group's Dakotas and crews, highlighting their crucial part in the defeat of Nazi Germany.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52100811620625,"sku":"NGR9781036121198","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52745831383313,"sku":"NIN9781036121198","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781036121198.jpg?v=1757090962"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-clive-bennett.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}